演題番号：15
テーマ 7：その他
Stakeholders’ activities, messages, and barriers to passing on the lessons of Minamata Disease
for the future: A field visit to Kumamoto Prefecture
Akane Maruyama, Shiho Hara, Shohei Yamauchi, Ngoc Yen Ma, Apisit Tubchuaikhwa,
Atsuko Imoto
School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University【Introduction】 Minamata Disease (MD) is a pollution-related disease caused by methylmercury
wasted by Chisso company. Over 60 years have passed since its official confirmation in May 1956.
Individual must have been born before November 1969 to be eligible for compensation claims,
resulting in the youngest officially confirmed patient being 53 years old. MD victims are ageing andas of October 2020, out of the 2,998 officially certified MD patients, including Niigata MD, only
457 remain alive (excluding the victims who have not been certified or are unaware of theirsymptoms). Various MD-related organizations make effort to raise awareness about the issue
because MD has complex background. This study aims to learn about MD from a public healthperspective.
【Activities】 In February 2023, we participated in a field trip organized by School of TropicalMedicine and Global Health at Nagasaki University to study MD. The students set their objectives
in groups and our group was to learn about the activities of stakeholders, messages they want toconvey, and barriers hindering the activities to pass on the lessons of MD to the next generation
through literature reviews, interviews and discussions with various stakeholders: prefectural andmunicipal governments, NGOs, victims, teachers, students and a medical doctor.
【Result】 We found that stakeholders are doing a range of activities, such as organizing regularevents, lecturing to students, sharing patient stories, organizing visits to relevant sites, and that
MD remains an ongoing issue. The main messages they would like to pass on to future generations
are different according to the values and target population of each stakeholder, however,commonalities exist among them. The common message is to “provide accurate information and thetruth about MD” in order to reduce discrimination and stigma and to use the knowledge andexperience gained from MD for future research and other purposes. Many informants expressed adesire to prevent the recurrence of MD anywhere in the world. Additionally, some informants view
the MD issue as a “treasure” because people can learn about the complexity of industrial pollution
from its history. On the other hand, there are some differences in attitude among stakeholders. For
example, one patient is trying to forgive government and Chisso company, but another patient iscontinuing lawsuit. There are still some major barriers such as shortage of human resources andbudgets, and the difficulty of getting the current generation to understand the context of life atthat time. Despite the fact that MD is still an ongoing issue, most victims and citizens hesitate totalk about MD. Stakeholders recommended strengthening the documentation of MD and promoting
collaboration among stakeholders in future activities.
【Conclusion】 MD has a complex social background and still affects Minamata City. The complexityof the background also shapes the diversity of the lessons learned from this issue. It is necessary
to continue various activities to pass on the lessons about MD to the next generation, ensuringthat similar tragedies are not repeated.